Nine Ways to Make Managing Business Finances Easier

The tax-filing deadline is upon us. If you’ve recently had some uncomfortable conversations with your accountant, you may be wondering how to make the process go more smoothly in the future. You could start by using the following financial management tools and practices: Accounting Software – You’ve probably heard of QuickBooks, but there are other…

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But Sam I Am, I Like My White Spam!

Okay, so you have an e-mail inbox that’s just bursting at the seams with critical updates, immensely important notifications and e-newsletters that will eventually unlock the mysteries of the universe and set you on the path to eternal bliss. Nevertheless, it all makes for more of a mess than you’d like. Here are some suggestions…

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Do You REALLY Want That Email?

We all like free stuff. If the lady in the supermarket deli offers a sample hors d’oeuvre, we say, “Why not?” A free car wash after we fill up the gas tank? “Why not?” A free puppy? “Why …” hmmm.  And that’s the issue. Sometimes “free” comes with a commitment that we really don’t want…

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What is “White Spam?

Let’s say you’re investigating a subject that’s important to you (maybe something related to your business) and you’re lucky enough to discover a very informative website. The online pages are full of well-written, useful content that speaks directly to your interest. As you peruse the site, you notice the offer of a free e-newsletter. “Of…

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Warning Signs of Inbox Overload

With 80,000 employees receiving an average of 100 emails each in their inbox, one French communications company, Atos, found that only about 15% of the messages were actually useful. To stem the tide, Atos took the seemingly radical step of banning internal emails (BBC News). As well, the Radicati Group reports that 42% of corporate…

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Outlook… Charm or Curse?

Do you open Outlook and check your email as soon as you sit down at your desk each day? If you do, you’re not alone. The average professional switches applications 30 times an hour to check or answer messages… and the effect on productivity can be staggering. Outlook…Charm or Curse? According to McKinsey Global Institute, reading…

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Outlook… Charm or Curse?

Do you open Outlook and check your email as soon as you sit down at your desk each day? If you do, you’re not alone. The average professional switches applications 30 times an hour to check or answer messages… and the effect on productivity can be staggering. Outlook…Charm or Curse? According to McKinsey Global Institute, reading…

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Does Your Organization Have IT Leadership?

If you’ve assembled a board of directors for your company (either formally or informally), you probably sought out men and women who—in addition to being thoughtful, intelligent people you can trust—also bring diversity of professional expertise. This would likely include someone who has built successful businesses as well as people with backgrounds in finance, sales…

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What IT Management Can Learn from Football Coaches

It’s the most wonderful time of year … we’ve kicked off college football and the NFL regular season is upon us! (Here’s hoping the Bills can finally deflate the Patriots.) In honor of this great team sport, we’ve decided to torture an analogy and see how football fundamentals can apply to managing an IT network.…

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